The present invention relates to a motor vehicle windscreen wiper.
The invention relates more particularly to a windscreen wiper of the type in which a cover is intended completely to cover an alternating-sweep drive head for a windscreen wiper blade with respect to which it is mounted articulated about a transverse axis, between a service position and a raised position, of the type in which the cover includes two longitudinal lateral flanks joined together by a transverse back which includes an upper longitudinal part and a downwards-curved part at its rear end.
Many examples of such a design of a windscreen wiper are known in which, in order to improve the appearance of the rear longitudinal part of the windscreen wiper which is mounted on the free upper end of a drive shaft, and so as to protect the elements for fixing the windscreen wiper to the drive shaft, a trim cover arrangement is provided according to the above-mentioned design.
According to a first design, the trim and protective cover may be a piece applied directly onto the body of the drive head and which is independent of the other components of the windscreen wiper.
The trim cover may be mounted so as to move with respect to the rear longitudinal part of the windscreen wiper arm which is mounted articulated on the drive head about a transverse axis.
According to yet another design, the cover may consist of the rear longitudinal part of the windscreen wiper arm proper, which is shaped into a casing and which is articulated onto the drive head about a transverse axis arranged in proximity to the rear longitudinal end of the windscreen wiper arm.
Whatever the design, it is desirable, at least after the windscreen wiper is first mounted on the vehicle, or with a view to allowing this first mounting, to be able to gain access to the means for fixing the drive head onto the end of the drive shaft, without requiring dismantling of the various components of the windscreen wiper, and particularly of the windscreen wiper arm, which is generally stressed by a wiping spring, the fitting and the removal of which are particularly complicated.
With this aim, the invention proposes a windscreen wiper of the abovementioned type, characterised in that the transverse back of the cover includes an aperture giving access to means for fixing the drive head onto the end of an alternating-sweep drive shaft, and in that a cap is provided, the contour of which is complementary to that of the aperture, which is mounted articulately on the cover between a closed service position in which it blocks off the aperture and an open raised position in which the aperture is clear.
According to other characteristics of the invention:
the cap is mounted articulated on the cover about a transverse axis arranged in the vicinity of the front transverse edge of the aperture;
the means for articulating the cap onto the cover include an articulation tab with a circular-arc profile, with a concave upper face, which is guided in circular sliding in a slot with a profile complementary to that of the cover;
the articulation tab extends longitudinally forwards from the front transverse edge of the cap and is accommodated in a guide slot formed in the vicinity of the front transverse edge of the aperture;
the concave upper face of the articulation tab is smooth and is guided in circular sliding by convex circular guide surfaces consisting of the free edges of several longitudinal and parallel guide cheeks formed facing the inner face of the upper longitudinal part of the transverse back;
the convex lower face of the articulation tab includes two longitudinal reinforcing ribs arranged along the lateral edges of the articulation tab;
the guide slot is delimited longitudinally by a segment of the front transverse edge of the aperture and by a segment of a parallel transverse edge belonging to a crosspiece of the cover;
the crosspiece of the cover includes an elastically deformable longitudinal tongue the edge of the free front end of which constitutes the said parallel transverse edge which delimits the guide slot;
the edge of the free front end of the tongue interacts with a notch formed on the lower face of the articulation tab, in the vicinity of the free front end of the latter, so as to constitute an end stop which determines the raised angular position of the cap and retains the articulation tab in the guide slot;
the free front end of the articulation tab is shaped as a wedge in order to cause the tongue to disappear when the cap is fitted on the cover;
elastic means are provided for locking the cap in its closed position;
the elastic locking means include at least one elastic locking strip which extends vertically downwards from the rear transverse edge of the cap and the free end of which includes a locking nose which interacts with a rib arranged face-to-face in the inner face of the curved rear part of the back of the cover;
the aperture is delimited by a front transverse edge formed in the longitudinal upper part of the back and by a rear transverse edge which is formed in the downwards-curved rear part of the back and which is offset vertically downwards with respect to the front transverse edge;
the aperture is delimited by two longitudinal edges formed in the two longitudinal lateral flanks;
the cover is a rear casing-shaped part of an arm which carries a windscreen wiper blade.